Lawmakers to NFL: Change Redskins' name, or else

posted by Matt Cantor, Newser Staff
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2 years ago

(NEWSER) – The Washington Redskins' name is facing a new attack, this time from two members of Congress. Democratic Sen. Maria Cantwell, who heads the Indian Affairs Committee, tells the New York Times that if the NFL doesn't take action, legislators will "definitely" review the league's tax-exempt status. "You're getting a tax break for educational purposes, but you're still embracing a name that people see as a slur and encouraging it," says Cantwell. She and Republican Rep. Tom Cole, a Native American Caucus member, have today sent a letter to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell condemning the name. Cole is one of two Native Americans on Capitol Hill, theWashington Post notes.